Chapter 491: Chapter 325: Four Divine Artifacts (Part 2)
The stone was discovered at the beginning of the establishment of the World Government, and the words engraved on it shocked everyone who saw it with their own eyes.
From the content of these words, it can be seen that at the time, humanity was facing an unprecedented crisis, with the entire species on the brink of destruction, and the light of civilization flickering like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
Later archeologists believed that it was because the soldiers of the time held these words in their hearts that they could advance fearlessly in the face of a powerful and unknown enemy, and their faith remained unbroken.
And it was these words that allowed the intelligent species of humanity to survive the apocalypse, avoid extinction, and reignite the flame of civilization after the war.
Shortly after the discovery of these words, the World Government officially declared them as a permanent banner to be passed down through generations.
Now, more than one hundred and fifty years later, these words have been engraved in the halls of government buildings in every city, visible to everyone who enters.
And now, they stand tall in front of Sikinkov and Yang Le, as if silently narrating those dark yet seed-bearing years—
[The survival of humanity is above all else]
...
...
...
Su Mo stood on the rooftop terrace of the Edge Mansion. Late winter was about to end, and the spring breeze was quite pleasant, with a faint scent of lilac blossoms from the garden. However, at this moment, all he felt was the chill.
The beacon event, the second mega-event of the Dawn Realm, had a more extensive scope and influence than the "Rust Wall Collapse Event."
Meanwhile, the fourth clearance item, following the Ancestral Blood Code, the Faceless Enzyme, and the Black Extinction Virus, was hidden deep beneath New Moon City, more than ten thousand meters underground.
Su Mo knew its location and theoretically should have had the opportunity to enter the underground and retrieve it early, or even prevent the beacon event from happening. But he was firmly constrained by one thing—the Black Extinction Virus.
The Black Extinction Virus was the key to obtaining the fourth clearance item. Without it, it was impossible to approach the area.
And because the original protagonist Ou Chenyu killed the original heroine An Churan, Su Mo was unable to analyze the Black Extinction Virus after acquiring it.
Later, although he met Qi Ling and got the analysis of the Black Extinction Virus on the right track, he was already behind in the timeline of the original storyline.
As it stands currently, the beacon event cannot fundamentally be avoided; it is bound to occur.
In the original story, the beacon event was not only a far-reaching mainline event, but for players, it was also the crucial branching point between the "Good Line" and the "Evil Line."
Every choice players made here would affect the subsequent storyline’s direction, either good or evil, with no turning back.
To Su Mo, reality wasn’t a game, nor was it a case of either/or.
But at least at this moment, he had already made his choice.
He had done everything he could in advance.
Su Mo took one last look at the city horizon, at the heavily light-polluted night sky over the Northern Industrial Development Zone, and left the rooftop.
He went downstairs to the underground laboratory, where Qi Ling and Future were discussing something.
For this past month, Qi Ling had only slept three or four hours a day to rush the analysis of the Black Extinction Virus, looking very haggard and significantly thinner, with bloodshot eyes.
The sight pained Su Mo slightly, and he stepped forward to hold Qi Ling’s hand: "Thank you for your hard work during this time."
Qi Ling lightly smiled and reached into Su Mo’s hair, gently touching it: "You too have worked hard, your hair’s even turned gray."
Future stood with hands on hips, glaring with her panda eyes: "What about me? You two are enjoying your lovey-dovey moment, and no one cares about me?"
Su Mo joked, "Your dark circles are black every day; I can’t see any difference."
The three of them laughed heartily.
After laughing, Su Mo’s tone turned serious: "How’s the Black Extinction Virus and the Earth Navigation Spaceship?"
Qi Ling replied, "It’s already reached the level of analysis you required, and functionality-wise it’s been repeatedly adjusted, no issues."
Future also nodded, "Same here. I just finished testing this evening, and all the functional modules you requested are present. You won’t find another Earth Navigation Spaceship as powerful as this one in the world."
Su Mo couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction, placing his arms around the shoulders of both, pulling in the two technical experts responsible for software and hardware: "I’m so lucky to have you."
"What are you doing? It’s kinda awkward." Future laughed, gently pushing him away, asking: "Boss, when are you planning to dive? We’re ready anytime."
Su Mo: "Tonight, time is not on our side, and there’s very little left. Delaying further might result in unforeseen incidents. I’m setting off immediately."
Future: "Alright, I’ll get the transport ready."
Qi Ling: "I’ll go and adjust the functionality of the Black Extinction Virus one more time to ensure everything is perfect."
The two left one after the other, returning to their respective posts.
Watching their backs, Su Mo couldn’t help but sigh lightly, feeling the weight on his heart grow heavier.
From his understanding of the original storyline, he had done everything within his power.
His companions had put in their utmost effort, creating conditions not much inferior to Ou Chenyu’s "protagonist privileges" in the original storyline.
But...
There was still one major variable.
A variable that even Su Mo, as an all-achievement player, couldn’t evaluate.
That variable was himself.
In the original storyline, it was Ou Chenyu who piloted the Earth Navigation Spaceship to dive deep beneath the Earth’s layers.
It might appear that Su Mo had conditions equal to Ou Chenyu and theoretically should achieve the same results.
But that wasn’t the case.
Because there was a congenital physical variable to consider.
The most direct manifestation of this variable was when Su Mo first transmigrated and, at the Life Sequence Research Center, gained the Mutant Gene Fusion Elixir to try suppressing the Ancestral Blood Code.
In the original storyline, Ou Chenyu, as a chosen one, easily withstood the side effects with his uniquely domineering physique, barely breaking a sweat.
But Su Mo was tormented by the side effects, suffering greatly, and had it not been for Nuobai offering his blood to help him through the ordeal, he might not have survived.
Even though now, like Ou Chenyu in the storyline, he had the Ancestral Blood Code, injected the Faceless Enzyme, acquired multiple blood codes, and had various high-grade prosthetics.
The congenital physical constitution was unchangeable.
According to the original storyline, the thing deep in the Earth’s layers emitted a powerful negative influence on those approaching.
Ou Chenyu managed to resist this influence and successfully break through the crisis.
Could he withstand it? Su Mo wasn’t confident.
Yet, he had to go at this time.
Because if he delayed till the beacon event erupted and the three major corporate giants noticed the secret beneath the Earth’s layers, it would be difficult for him to claim the fourth clearance item as his own.
He couldn’t even imagine the consequences if it fell into the hands of the three corporate giants. As Sikinkov said, the world would be beyond saving, and everyone would become enslaved to the giants for life.
Thus, the only thing he could do was to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the preliminary phase.
Of course, if the worst case occurred, where the negative influence surpassed his physical limit and brought unpredictable incidents, then...
Su Mo went upstairs to find KK.
KK didn’t have much technical proficiency and was limited in what he could do regarding the beacon event, making him appear more anxious than others.
He looked at Su Mo with concern, asking, "Bro, are you about to set off?"
Su Mo nodded: "Yes, but before I go, I have something to give you. You must keep it safe; it concerns each one of you."
After saying this, Su Mo took out a small black box and handed it to KK.
KK: "What’s this?..."
Su Mo leaned over to KK’s ear and whispered something.
KK’s expression shifted from doubt to worry, and finally to a look of bewilderment, biting his lower lip as he looked at Su Mo, tears welling up in his eyes.
Su Mo hugged KK, patting his back to offer comfort, and then turned to leave: "Until we meet again."
